A year ago, Ben proposed to Miranda while out hiking and I got to photograph the whole thing.
“It was the best day of my life,” Ben said. “I woke up that morning really nervous. I’d envisioned asking her to marry me for years. I’d mentioned to her throughout the week that we should go for a hike on Sunday morning and maybe go grab breakfast afterwards; that way we’d be in somewhat picture-acceptable clothes for the hike. My heart was pounding all morning. I barely slept the night before. Deep down, I knew she’d say yes-I was just really feeling the pressure of the moment.
“We left the house that morning and drove to the trail where we regularly hike with our dog Charlie. We showed up and I thought I saw your car, but in my nervousness I couldn’t be sure. I was making awkward small talk, which is really unlike me. I remember as we walked down the trail-towards where I wanted to propose-I couldn’t help looking over my shoulder to see if you were following. I kept checking over my shoulder to see if you were following-I didn’t see you at first, but I knew you were there. We got to the point where I was going to propose and I felt as if I’d frozen. Miranda mentioned that she’d carved our initials into a rock there years ago-like in one of those sappy romance movies-and I knew the time had come. Everything had come full circle, so to speak.
“It’s still hard for me to articulate in any meaningful detail-especially to anyone who wasn’t there-just what that day meant to me. We walked into those woods as one thing and we left as something so much more.”
It was so special to capture it for them! Miranda added, “I was so surprised and happy that I grabbed the ring right out of the box before even saying yes! Haha. Still a little embarrassed about it! He the told me he hired a photographer and I turned around and saw you!! It’s just amazing to be able to look back at those photos and see the fresh emotions on both our faces. It’s like I can re-live the moment all over again!”
This spring, we met up downtown Iowa City for their engagement session. It was a super weird day for weather. We had rescheduled it a few hours because of forecasted rain, but then the rain bumped back and started just as we were getting ready to meet so we made a quick change-of-plans and met at the Voxman instead to start inside. It was a Sunday afternoon and, unbeknownst to us, there was a concert happening that justtttt ended as we were getting ready to start. So, we again pivoted and went outside beneath an overhang to start until the building emptied out.
Miranda described Ben as, “He never backs down from a challenge and will stand up for himself and those he loves. I admire his confidence and drive to get what he wants out of life.”
“Her capacity for love,” Ben said. “I’ve never known this kind of love and kindness from anyone in all my life. She embodies the best of us.”
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